Sports fans have plethora of options

Sunday

Feb 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - Stockton has plenty for sports fans with dollars to spend.

Stephen Roberson

STOCKTON - Stockton has plenty for sports fans with dollars to spend.

The Stockton Ports, the Class-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, saw fan support more than double when Stockton Ballpark opened in 2005. In the years since, the team has - for the most part - maintained attendance figures.

The Stockton Thunder, an ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers that moved from New Jersey in 2005, was among the top three in league attendance from its inaugural season here through 2011-12, but the Thunder has fallen off this year.

In a car-racing culture of mass track closures, Stockton 99 reopened in 2009 following a two-year shutdown and is now doing well enough for operators Tony and Carol Noceti to open two more tracks, the Little 99 go-kart track that opened last year and a half-mile dirt track scheduled to open in March inside the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds horse racing track.

There are other options for fans: University of the Pacific, San Joaquin Delta College, high school sports, area rodeos and other special events such as the Harlem Globetrotters, horse racing, wrestling and mixed martial arts.

So how do promoters go after these dollars?

That depends on the promoter and the product. Circumstances dictate a lot.

For Thunder President Dan Chapman, the economy plays a role, but not as significant a role as the fading novelty that comes with a new franchise.

"The first few years, the phone rang off the hook," Chapman said. "We were almost order-takers. But if you just sit around and expect people to show up to enjoy your product, it doesn't work that way."

Stockton led the ECHL in attendance its first four years and has been among the top three every season. Through the end of January, however, the Thunder was sixth.

"Typically new teams have that novelty, so that's one of the reasons we've dropped," Chapman said. "Having said that, our attendance right now is the lowest it's been. Without question, the economy has had an impact."

The Thunder's approach has been based primarily on outreach.

"You work harder and smarter than ever," Chapman said. "You focus on community outreach. You're constantly building up databases, getting phone numbers and email addresses, getting information from fans at games. You can never acquire enough information."

Chapman and Ports President Pat Filippone made similar comments when talking about what makes minor-league sports unique.

"We can't control what happens on the field," Filippone said. "Look at last year. The team wasn't very good (finishing fifth in the five-team division with a 56-84 record, worst among the 10 teams in the league), but we still drew fans. At the end of the day, people enjoy the product. There's always a need for escaping and having some fun, so there's always going to be a market regardless of what the national economy or the local economy is doing."

Filippone said the Ports' approach hasn't changed the past few years and likely won't change in the coming years.

"First and foremost, we appreciate the community so we try to be ingrained in the community through things like education, youth sports and charitable foundations," he said.

As with all minor-league sports, promotions play a big role. The key is to mix in the staples - fireworks and bobbleheads are always big draws - with fresh ideas. A surprising hit when it started in 2011 was 2 Buck Mondays: Tickets, sodas and hot dogs are all only $2.

Tony Noceti faces a different challenge at Stockton 99. While Chapman and Filippone focus on ways to get fans to return, Noceti believes he just needs to get people through the gates. Once they're introduced, the sport sells itself.

"People say, 'I watch NASCAR on TV.' It doesn't even to compare to what you see on TV," he said. "If you can get them in, they'll come back."

Noting an empty seat does the track no good, Noceti gives away a lot of tickets through various promotions. He also places a premium on keeping things affordable, even free for kids 10 and younger.

"A family can come to the racetrack on a regular night, kids buying hot dogs, dad buying beer, for about $80," he said. "You take your wife and kids to the movies, that's $100 by the time you're out of there an hour-and-a-half later."

He also places a premium on accessibility, offering fans the option of a $35 pit pass for members ($55 for non-members) so they can talk to the drivers.

"Where else can you do that?" he said. "That's what makes us different. They can see their heroes and the bad guys. It's all a big marketing strategy."